Re: Adding votable links to other sites, like digg

__/ [ Ignoramus16172 ] on Saturday 04 March 2006 04:49 \__

So... I have this website algebra.com, 280 free tutors, 4,000+
registered users, a hundred modules covering various topics, 200+ user
contributed lessons, 14,000+ problems solved by tutors, a pretty
active web forum, etc.

John and I convinced you to add RSS feeds. How's that coming along,
traffic-wise?

I feel that I am not doing enough to foster a true community.
Something where people interact towards a common goal which is
learning math.

Probably covered by the forum, unless you intend to enrich it somehow.

Communications are mostly one way (tutors to students and tutors
"broadcasting") their lessons.

I had my ass kicked in alt.www.webmaster and people rightly said that
I should get busy doing community stuff.

My idea is as follows. In every module, I would have "top 5" links to
lessons on OTHER websites (on related topics), and "top 5" links to
calculators from other sites. Anyone would be free to propose a link
and anyone would be free to vote. The "weight" of the vote would
increase with the "score" of the user (the score system already
exists).

Your site could become a linking authority rather than a content farm. It's
up to you which path suits you better. Bear in mind that linkage invites
spam (thus maintenance).

I could require that any website linked from algebra.com should have a
backlink.

There is no reliable way for checking reciprocity automatically.

The benefits are, more community and participation and, most
importantly, more value to my readers who would be able to find
lessons and solvers outside of algebra.com.

The drawback, obviously, is that I would be sending my readers away
from my site. Another drawback is a little more complicated -- now I
have a lot of tutors writing their lessons on algebra.com to gain
visibility (they mostly have altruistic motives), but if they can
publish elsewhere and have a link placed to them, they would not be as
interested in publishing on algebra.com.

My hunch is that this is a very good thing to do, but I want to hear
some feedback.

thanks

i

Changing the theme of your site is not the issue at hand, but I guess you
want to change its service. I can truthfully tells you that I began to
neglect several sites to which I was loyal for years. Digg is probably my
new favourite, which obviates the need to visit other sites. Maybe link
assemblage is the way forward.

Best wishes and good luck,

Roy